I Can't Write Left-Handed (Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - October 1972)

We recorded this song on October the 6th

Since then the war's been declared over

If you're like me you'll remember it like anybody remembers any war

One big drag

Lot of people write songs about wars and government

Very social things

But I think about young guys who were like I was when I was young

I had no more idea about any government, or political things or anything

And I think about those kind of young guys now

Who all of a sudden somebody comes up

And they're very law-abiding

So if somebody says go they don't ask any questions they just go

And I can remember not too long ago seeing a young guy

With his right arm gone, just got back

And I asked him how he was doing

He said he was doing all right now

But he had thought he was gonna die

He said getting shot at didn't bother him

It was getting shot that shook him up

And I tried to put myself in his position

Maybe he cried, maybe he said

I can't write left handed

Would you please write a letter, write a letter to my mother?

Tell her, tell her to tell

Tell her to tell the family lawyer

Try to get a deferment for my younger brother

Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord, Lord, Lord

I ain't gonna live, I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older

Strange little man over here in Vietnam, I ain't, I ain't never seen

Bless his heart I ain't never done nothin' to

He done shot me in my shoulder

Boot camp we had classes

You know we talked about fightin', fightin' everyday

And lookin' through rosy, rosy colored glasses

I must admit it seemed exciting anyway

But something that they overlooked to tell me

Bullets look better I must say

Rather when they comin' at you

But go without the other way

And please call up the Reverend

call up, call up the Reverend Harris

And tell him to ask the lord to do some good things for me

Tell him, I ain't gonna live, I ain't gonna live